SHOP DRAWINGS AND ENGINEERING DOCUMENTATION JMC FABRICATION PROVIDES
Yes. JMC Fabrication produces full shop drawing and engineering documentation packages on every fabrication project. That includes dimensioned fabrication prints, isometric and orthographic views, weld symbols and weld maps, bills of material, MTR references, and the QC documentation trail customers need for closeout.
The packages aren't an after-the-fact deliverable. They're built alongside the work, tied back to the same model the shop floor fabricates from, and revision-tracked through the life of the project so the closeout binder matches what actually got welded and shipped.
Published May 19, 2026 · JMC Fabrication
A shop drawing isn't a design drawing. The design side, the engineer of record, the architect, the mechanical engineer, defines intent. The shop drawing translates that intent into a print a welder or fitter can build from without guessing. Dimensions are explicit. Tolerances are called out. Every weld has a symbol. Every cut has a part number tied to the bill of material.
On a typical JMC job, the package that goes to the floor includes fabrication prints with full dimensions and tolerances, isometric or orthographic views depending on the assembly, weld symbols per AWS A2.4, a bill of material with part numbers and quantities, a weld map keyed to weld procedure specifications, and references back to the MTRs being held in QC's file. None of that is generic boilerplate. It's the drawing set the floor needs to build the assembly correctly the first time.
Smaller scopes get smaller packages. A custom handrail might be one sheet with three views and a BOM. A pipe spool job in carbon steel might be twenty isometric sheets with weld maps and material lists. Either way, the level of detail matches what the work actually needs, no more, no less.
Here's what customers can expect inside a typical JMC engineering deliverable for a fabrication scope:
- Dimensioned fabrication prints: Plan, elevation, and section views with full dimensions, tolerances, and material callouts. Pulled directly from the model so what's on the print matches what's been modeled and clash-checked.
- Weld symbols and weld maps: Every weld on the drawing carries an AWS A2.4 symbol noting type, size, and process. The weld map ties each numbered weld to a weld procedure specification, which ties back to a qualified welder and an MTR-backed material.
- Bill of material (BOM): Item-by-item breakdown of every piece in the assembly with part number, description, material grade, quantity, and source. The BOM is the bridge between the drawing and procurement, and it's what QC uses to verify completeness at receiving.
- Isometric and orthographic views: Isos for piping spools and complex 3D routing, ortho views for structural and duct assemblies. The choice of view matches what's easiest for the fitter to read on that specific scope.
- Revision block and history: Every drawing carries a revision letter, date, and short description of what changed. Customers see exactly what got updated between Rev A and Rev B without comparing two PDFs side by side.
- References to QC documentation: The drawing set points to the WPS, the welder qualifications, the MTRs, and the NDE requirements for that scope. Closeout assembles all of that into a single binder or digital package.
Customers sometimes ask why they need shop drawings when they already have engineer-of-record drawings. The two serve different jobs:
| Drawing Type | Produced By | Purpose | Detail Level | Who Uses It |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design drawings | Engineer of record (mechanical, structural, architect) | Define design intent, performance, and code compliance | Schematic dimensions, system-level routing, specifications | Plan reviewers, GCs, permitting authorities |
| Shop drawings | JMC's engineering team (or another fabricator) | Define exactly what gets built, cut, welded, and shipped | Full dimensions, tolerances, weld symbols, BOM, part numbers | Welders, fitters, QC, receiving |
| As-builts | JMC engineering with field/shop input | Record what was actually fabricated and installed | Final dimensions, field changes, accepted deviations | Owner, facility operations, future maintenance |
Isometric drawings show piping or routed assemblies in a single 3D view, scaled but not projected, with dimensions running along the pipe axes. They're the standard for spool fabrication because a fitter can read an iso, see where every elbow and tee sits in space, and build the spool on a bench without needing three separate views.
Orthographic drawings, top, side, and front views projected flat, are the right call for structural assemblies, custom platforms, duct sections, and most sheet metal work. The geometry sits in clean rectangular planes, so flat ortho views are easier for the fitter to lay out and cut than an iso would be.
JMC's engineering team picks the format that matches the work. Spooled piping gets isos. Duct and structural get orthos. Custom one-off assemblies sometimes get both, depending on whether the geometry is more spatial or more planar.
The split is straightforward most of the time. The customer hands off design intent: P&IDs, mechanical schedules, architectural backgrounds, structural details, or a Revit model when one exists. JMC's engineering team converts that intent into shop-ready geometry, then produces the fabrication drawings, weld maps, and BOMs from the model.
On smaller jobs, sometimes the customer hands off a sketch on a napkin or a photo of an existing assembly that needs replacing. JMC's engineering team can work from those starting points too. The team converts the input into scaled drawings, walks the customer through what's been modeled, and gets sign-off before anything hits the floor.
Either way, JMC owns the shop drawing package as a deliverable. The customer reviews it, marks it up, returns redlines, and JMC issues the next revision. The engineer of record's stamped drawings stay separate, JMC doesn't replace or re-stamp design drawings, but the shop drawings carry JMC's engineering review.
Revisions are part of every project. Here's how the revision pipeline runs at JMC:
- Customer issues a change: Could be a field RFI, an updated Revit model, a redline on a PDF, or a phone call from the mechanical engineer. JMC logs the change against the affected drawing or model.
- Engineering updates the model first: The change gets made in the source model, not directly on the print. That keeps the model and the drawings synchronized. If the change creates a clash, it gets caught in clash detection before drawings get reissued.
- Drawings reissue with a new revision letter: The affected sheets get bumped to the next rev, with the revision block describing what changed. Sheets not affected by the change stay at their existing revision, so the customer can see at a glance which prints changed and which didn't.
- QC and the shop floor get the updated set: Old revs get marked superseded. The shop works from the current rev only. QC's inspection records reference the rev they signed off against, so the closeout package shows the revision history end to end.
The closeout package is the document trail customers keep on file after the work ships. On a typical JMC fabrication scope it includes:
- Final revision of every shop drawing and isometric, marked as-built where applicable
- Bill of material reconciled against what was actually fabricated
- Weld procedure specifications (WPS) and procedure qualification records (PQR) referenced by the weld maps
- Welder qualification records for every welder who worked on the scope
- Material test reports (MTRs) for every length of pipe, plate, and structural shape used
- Weld logs identifying each numbered weld, the welder, the WPS, and the inspection result
- NDE reports (visual, dye penetrant, radiographic, ultrasonic) per the project spec
- Revision history showing what changed and when, sheet by sheet
Does JMC need stamped engineer-of-record drawings to start shop drawings?
On code-driven scopes, yes. JMC's shop drawings reference the engineer of record's design intent and code basis, so the EOR set is the starting point. On smaller custom work that doesn't carry a structural or mechanical code stamp, JMC can produce shop drawings from a sketch, a P&ID, or field measurements without a stamped design set.
Are JMC's shop drawings stamped by a PE?
Shop drawings produced by a fabricator are typically not PE-stamped, that's the engineer of record's role. JMC's shop drawings carry the engineering team's review and the project number, and they tie back to the stamped design drawings. If a project specifically requires a stamped fabrication submittal, JMC can coordinate with a third-party PE.
What file formats does JMC deliver shop drawings in?
Standard delivery is PDF for review and DWG for native CAD roundtrip. Revit-coordinated projects also get RVT and Navisworks NWD/NWC files. Spool packages typically include PDF spool sheets and an Excel or CSV BOM. JMC matches the format the customer's coordination workflow expects.
How long does it take to turn around a shop drawing package?
It depends on scope size, model availability, and how many revisions the customer's design has gone through. A small custom assembly might turn around in a few days from a clean P&ID. A multi-floor mechanical scope with Revit coordination might run two to four weeks for the first issue, plus revision cycles. JMC quotes engineering hours as part of the project schedule.
Can we mark up JMC drawings and send them back?
Yes, redlining the PDFs and sending them back is the most common revision workflow. JMC's engineering team incorporates the markups into the model, reissues the affected sheets at the next rev, and tracks the revision in the drawing block. Customers can also mark up the Revit model directly if they're working in BIM.
Do shop drawings include weld procedure specifications?
The shop drawings reference WPS numbers on the weld map and weld symbols. The full WPS, PQR, and welder qualification documents live in the QC package, which gets bundled into the closeout binder. The drawings tell the welder which procedure to use. The QC package documents what the procedure says and proves the welder is qualified to run it.
Does JMC produce as-built drawings after fabrication?
Yes, when the project calls for them. As-built drawings capture any field changes, accepted deviations, or dimensional adjustments made during fabrication. They're issued at the final revision and bundled into the closeout package alongside the MTRs, weld logs, and NDE reports.